Mikel - Silve Lining Or Sheer Lunacy?

With rumours circulating the internet that not only is Arsene Wenger interested in signing Man United's Mikel Silvestre, but that the player is already at Arsenal HQ and ready to commit.

If rumours are true, what do we the Arsenal fans make of it?

Let's look at the player. Mikel Silvestre is a versatile figure who can play anywhere along the back line. He's got great premiership experience, knows how to win and is of International acclaim.

Not a typical Wenger signing at 31 years of age, but in theory, he could do a job for us.

With Arsenal appearing to surrender a player to the treatment table with every match, how long is it going to be before we lose a essential defensive figure? Would Silvestre just be a stop gap until Wenger deems Senderos, Djourou or Traore sufficient to step up to the plate?

In typical Arsenal style, blogosphere is going mental at the thought of Wenger snapping up a player deemed not good enough to play for our fiercest rivals. However I feel that had Le Boss already brought in a defensive midfielder then the reaction to this rumour would be much more blase.

But this begs the question, should this rumour come to pass, does Wenger still intend to bring in a midfielder, or is this us for the summer?

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A midfielder will still definitely arrive. I could see the logic in this for the reasons outlined in the article, he's the experienced sort of player we are crying out for and would need no adaption time. But, isn't he rather injury prone nowadays? And isn't he a little too similar to what we already have? I was hoping for a hulk of a centre back who would be a first choice in the side alongside Gallas, Silvestre doesn't strike me as the aerially dominant presence we need.

The one thing we really don't need is another injury prone player. But then again I don't know exactly how bad Silvestre is. If you're right about the Midfielder LD, then I think this is a decent enough signing, especially with the nominal transfer fee and it opening up the opportunity for Traore to go on loan and gain some vaulable experience!!

Difference is korodon was that Heinze was a first team regular, plus with Silvestre having only one year left United will want to take all the cash they can. They know he won't win us the league so what would be the problem? Plus can't he just buy out of his final year?

I can't believe people are even debating this, it's a terrible terrible signing, easily the worst Wenger has made and yet another solid piece of evidence that Arsenal FC have been talking complete ********* for three years, they "Don't want" a player like Torres and manage to lose Flamini and Diarra, yet they happily pick up the cheap scraps of a Man Utd has been. I'm falling out of love with this current arsenal side, there are just a too few many names which are not and never will be Arsenal players - Eboue, Adebayor and now Silvestri - Arsenal have no money for transfers, it's blatantly obvious.

Arsenal News Review reckons he's already at Highbury House about to sign. It's neither the best or the worst signing by Arsene, certainly the strangest given his age and injury record. But we definitely are missing a Grimandi or Remi Garde like squad player, and Clichy simply cannot go on all season at the rate he does IMO. All we need is a stop gap until Traore is ready to back up Clichy properly, and his experience won't harm us. Plus he has won things!

It's obvious to me that Wenger is gunning gor some form of Mother Teresa of Calcutta saintdom, there is no other feasible explanation why St Arsene of Alsace would be surrounding himself with the weak, the lame and the infirm :)

If Clichy is injured the options on the left side aren't great. Silvestre would plug that gap for a season. With the added bonus that he could cover for any of the CB positions if needed. It makes some sense and is no more an odd decision than Fergie plugging a temporary gap in his forward line with Larsson. If we brought him in he wouldn't play more than 20 or so games in the season so his injury record wouldn't be over tested.

I think it will happen and provide us with another body who can play in several positions, is ready made for the EPL and can bring valuable winners experience with him. Just tried to get tickets for the Fulham game, £50 each for the neutral/away end!!!!!!!!! Bloody rip off or what!

West Ham fans said that Freddie Ljungberg had experience and won things and they saw what he had achieved for us a few years back, but secretly, every gooner knew what a good piece of business it was getting rid of a crock (still a legend) but a crock nonetheless. Silvestre could be in the FL category and I am worried. IF we sign a top DM then we can afford to be blase about this one.

You're right Amos, but this highlights the contradiction of the Arsenal FC propaganda. They say they "believe" in their young players and yet are not prepared to use them as serious back up, how do we know this? Because it looks like Wenger is going to sign a Man Utd has been. So if Wenger would rather sign a Man Utd has been than play one of his own youngsters like Gibbs or Traoure, this means that they are not "believing" in their youngsters by choice but by enforced financial restrictions, which means they have been talking ***** for the last three years and Wenger is having to work miracles just to keep things ticking over.

I think this makes sense for all parties. He is 31, and his best days are behif him, but as you say..he can do a job. You need exactly this John O'shea sort of layer who can slot in at a multitude if positions. Our new Brazilians on top of the good injury record of Evra means his chances at us are minimal. I am actually quite hopeful thsi deal goes through, he has never been one of my favourite players. However, will YOU forgive him for that headbutt on ljunberg, remeber?

I think the left back situation is a bit different from any other position in the team Prof. Both Traore and Gibs are only 18. In every other position we have an option of a player 20 or older who can cover. Our back up for Clichy at present is Gallas. It makes sense and doesn't contradict any youth or transfer policy when you look at it as a specific solution to a specific circumstance.

Could this be Wenger giving Djourou (or Song) the chance to move in to midfield and Senderos to move out the door? Providing he does come in for too much, I won't be worried. He can act as comprehensive cover in the games that might be too much for the young lads.

There is also an argument that, with the Neviller perenially crocked and the young Brazilians untried in the top flight, we could weaken United. A big injury in defence for them will leave them short. It should also be pointed out that Gibbs is actually a winger and it seems Traore is going to be played in that position too.

Could this just be a big smokescreen for us signing a midfielder? I must admit I thought there would have been some action on that front this week! You never normally know about it until the deals done with us.

RE: the Kolo to midfield rumours - if we sign this fish-faced old reject from Man U and use it as an excuse to NOT sign a midfielder, I will be absolutely LIVID. We HAVE to sign a centre mid. That's it. End of. No other option.

[quote]So if Wenger would rather sign a Man Utd has been than play one of his own youngsters like Gibbs or Traoure, this means that they are not "believing" in their youngsters by choice but by enforced financial restrictions, which means they have been talking ***** for the last three years and Wenger is having to work miracles just to keep things ticking over. [/quote]Now wait a minute here. I hear a lot of fans saying they trust the kids as back up, just not all the kids at the same time. Here is an opportunity to possibly pick up a short term old head to fill in if and when needed and that is ALSO a bad thing? I'd be upset if Wenger introduced Silvestre as our new #1 anything, but as an experienced squad player? He could be useful if he is cheap enough. He is old enough to be experienced and not young enough to show up and stay in the squad for years to come, thus not holding up any of the youngsters who are "almost there".

Wow I never linked this to the DM situation. I thought the boss promised a midfielder! This Silvestre thing's got nothing to do with DM! Please tell me yes! If this is the case, I don't really care if it's Silvestre or anyone, an old head at the back as BACKUP is always nice.

The Silvestre rumour is a bit weird, but I dont think he wil be 1st choice CB. Perhaps a useful squad player to fill in at LB/RB, considering Traore will play more at LM &amp; Hoyte has been sold to Boro. Any additional experience will be vital to this Arsenal team, so I'm not against that move.

Also, I dont think this is linked to the DM position in any way. Wenger will sign a DM. I thought that this squad was atleast 2 players away from having the depth needed to put in a good title challenge, and if the answer is Silvestre and another DM, then thats what we need.

It really throws me for a loop to see some of the chicken little's that see a transfer rumor and immediately jump up and down pointing at the coming implosion of the club. I'm not a Silvestre fan but if he is available to shore things up during a patch of injuries sometime in January I can't see that as being a bad thing. It isn't as if we are talking about selling someone to buy him.

I think Silvestre would be a great signing. Bags of experience, still talented and quick and he's a consumate professional. The only risk is his track record of injuries, but at a reported £750K, Wenger is taking a sensible risk.

I can deal with this as long as we're still getting a midfielder. I see the pros of this signing, despite the worries about his injury record. Still, it's such a crazy signing. 31 yrs old! A manc who used to diss Arsenal and headbutted Freddie! What a crazy unpredictable manager we have. :-D

Backtracking? Where? How? Some people think it's an OK signing, some think it's awful, some can see the logic. There's no backtracking at all. Given that United signed Laurent Blanc at age 34 and Henrik Larsson at 35 and tried to sign Vieira at 30, United fans aren't really in a position to mock.

of all the players that were linked to us, i thought this was the weirdest. I saw the headlines, smiled, and moved on. Not exactly a typical Wenger signing! It means we could have an entire backline composed of french players, wouldn't that give the xenophobes something to talk about. If you take all your emotions out and think rationally about what this brings (as Wenger surely does), it's a clever signing.

with the kinda money we have (due to the new stadium), we can't afford big signings unless a billionaire comes in. this is the truth, like it or not. Arsenal make as much money as Liverpool do, but most of the earnings go to bank as interest.
also, if u offered a one-year contract to Silvestre, u think he would have signed? we needed experience at the back, and we have got him. now, u r complaining. i think it's a good signing providing that he does not get injured often.

there r emotions and then there is reality and the reality is silvestre will make our back line one of the strongest if not the strongest in the premiership. bringout toure and the sub is silvestre or senderos. bring out sagna and the replacement is toure. bringout clichy and the replacement is silvetre. THAT IS ONE DEPTH WE DID NOT HAVE LAST SEASON, PPLE WAKE UP AND LOOK AT THE REALITY. in the DM we have a new signing coming in and diaby also toure de force can play DM too. WHY CANT YOU PPLE SEE THAT WENGER IS FIXING OUR LAST SEASONS DOWN FALL WHICH WAS QUALITY DEPTH!!!!!!! i loathe man u with all my heart but silvetre will add exoerience abd versatility to our team and i can take that.

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